No. 1 finishers in rankings include 3 defending champs, 3 first-time titlists

Defending champions Hebron Christian, Mount Paran Christian and St. Francis as well as three first-time winners claimed girls basketball state titles in Macon last week and finished No. 1 in the final rankings of the 2023-2024 season.

Hebron Christian (30-2) captured its second consecutive championship and third in four seasons with a 62-60 over Wesleyan in the Class 3A final. Hebron Christian led by 21 points with three minutes remaining in the third quarter but needed a deflection on Wesleyan’s final possession to preserve the victory. It was the 16th title for coach Jan Azar, who won 13 titles at Wesleyan from 2002 to 2018. Aubrey Beckham had 15 points to lead Hebron Christian, and Danielle Osho had 14 points and 15 rebounds. Chit-Chat Wright’s 24 points and Bryanna Preston’s 22 led Wesleyan.

Mount Paran Christian (293) of Class 2A won its third consecutive title with a 59-52 victory over Josey, which trailed by two points after three quarters but never got closer in the fourth. Ciara Alexander and Jessica Fields combined for 38 points, 21 rebounds and seven blocked shots.

St. Francis (24-7) of Class A Division I defeated Region 6 rival Galloway in overtime in the final for the second consecutive season, this time 74-71, to claim its fifth championship since 2013. Giaunni Rodgers (19 points), Nya Young (13), Amelia Basit (12) and Sa’Mya Wyatt (10) scored in double figures for St. Francis. Galloway’s Tianna Thompson had 37 points. The Knights won six games in six tries against Galloway over the past two seasons.

Marist (30-1) of Class 6A rode the hot hand of sophomore Kate Harpring to its second championship in three seasons, ending North Forsyth’s

bid for an unbeaten season with a 67-48 victory. Marist never trailed after taking an 18-16 lead early in the second quarter. Harpring scored 27 points and had eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals. She scored 45 points in a victory over defending champion River Ridge in the semifinals.

Baldwin (29-2) of Class 4A captured its first state title since winning three straight from 1986 to 1988 with a 47-39 victory over Hardaway. Baldwin trailed 29-14 with 3:38 to play in the third quarter but battled back, eventually scoring the final 11 points of the game. Madison Ruff led Baldwin with 17 points.

Grayson of Class 7A, Jackson-Atlanta of Class 5A and Greenforest Christian of Class A Division II won their first state championships.

Grayson (32-0) became the only Georgia team, boys or girls, to finish with an unbeaten record when it defeated North Paulding 65-44. The Rams went on a 15-0 run in the first quarter for a 17-2 lead, and North Paulding got no closer than 14 points the rest of the way. Danielle Carnegie (21 points), Erin Rodgers (18), Tatum Brown (14) and Malaya Jones (10) scored in double figures for the Rams.

Jackson-Atlanta (29-1) defeated Midtown 58-44 for its fourth victory against its Region 5 rival this season. Midtown led 19-12 early in the second quarter, but Jackson seized control with a 14-0 run over the next four minutes. Shakira Gresham led the way with 21 points, eight rebounds, five steals and two blocked shots.

Greenforest Christian (275) won its first title with a 39-28 victory over Montgomery County in a game in which both teams struggled with their field-goal shooting. Greenforest made just five of 28 attempts in the first half but took the lead midway through the second quarter and never gave it up.